Ski boot

ABSTRACT

A ski boot incorporating a continuous metallic reinforcing member along the sole and up the back of the boot.

[ 1 Apr. 17, 1973 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS SKI BOOT [76] Inventor:

Roy L. Peterson, 73 Wildwood Road, Mahtomedi, Minn. 551 l5 Aug. 23, 1971 36/25 AL .....36/69 Levin 3,530,594 9/1970 3,203,117 8/1965 Shelton 3,466,763 9/1969 [22] Filed:

Appl. No.: 174,059

Primary Examiner-PartickD. Lawson Attorney-Gilbert B. Gehrenbeck [52] US. ...36/2.5 AL

[58] Field of Search............;...... ....36/2.5 R, 2.5 AL,

A ski boot incorporating a. continuous metallic reinforcing member along the sole and up the back of the boot.

2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTED APR 1 71975 N VEN TOR Ra) 1.1 57560 SKI BOOT This invention relates to ski boots. More specifically, the invention relates to boots of relatively rigid but light weight Construction and incorporating a one-piece metallic reinforcing member extending along the entire sole and back areas of the boot.

A ski bootis required to have a high order of rigidity to permitithe wearer to retain full control of the ski. Rigidity is customarily attained in large part by building up the sole of the boot from a number of layers of stiff leather. As a result such boots are heavy, a typical boot for men'weighing upwards of four pounds.

The present invention makes possible a significant reduction in weight in a ski boot without loss of rigidity. Increased protection to the foot and ankle is provided.

In the drawing,

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a boot made in accordancewith this invention,

FIG. 2 is a partial central longitudinal cross-section showing structural details of the boot of FIG. 1, on a partially distorted scale for ease in representation,

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a metal insert as used in the boot of FIG. 1 prior to forming, and

FIG. 4 is a detail view of a portion of the back part of the boot taken approximately at line 4 4 of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG.. 1, the boot comprises an outer sole 11, upper 12, toe l3, tongue 14, ankle patch 15,

heel plate 16, and rear cover 17. Eyelets l8 areprovided to receive a suitable lace; hooks may altemative- 1y be supplied. The plate 16 and the adjacentedges of the sole 1 1 are grooved to provide a slant groove 19 for retaining a ski binding. The forward end of the sole is squared off and thickened, also to provide a secure fit in a conventional binding or to provide added support for a subsequently attached binding member. The structure shown will be seen to be similar to that of many commonly used ski boots except that the sole member lacks the customary excessive thickness of such members.

The basis for the reduced sole thickness is illustrated in FIG. 2, showing a continuous metal plate 20 extending substantially the full length and width of the sole 11 and the full height of the-upper l2 and rear cover 17. The plate 20 is raised along the heel portion by an underlying wedge or support 21 to which is fastened the heel plate 16. The rear cover 17 covers the upright portion of the plate 20 and is secured to the upper 12 by rows of stitching 22 along both edges of the plate, as indicated in FIG. 1 The upper 12, which will customarily be constructed of two or more segments, extends across the sole portion of the plate 20 and is secured to the sole 11 by stitching or in any other suitable manner, e.g. by cementing, to form an inner sole.

An insulating lining 23 covers the inner surfaces of the upper 12 except for the sole area, where a somewhat heavier cushioned insole 24 provides both insulation and resiliency. A further smooth protective liner 25 may optionally cover the insulative lining 23.

The toe 13 is formed of a rigid shaped outer shell 26, aninsulative lining 27, and an optional protective liner 28, and is stitched or otherwise fastened to the sole area of the upper 12 and to the sole 11. An end piece 29 fitting just forwardly of the toe 13 provides a thickened end area to the sole 11 for purposes previously noted. The tongue 14 extends from the toe and both are attached to the upper, e. 22. A suitable welt 30 may be me u ed if desired, e.g.

for improved strength or water resistance.

- The metal insert 20, as shown in flattened plan view in FIG. 3 for a left boot, will be seen to include a sole area 31 and an upright or rear area 32 separated by a fold line 33. The narrow portion 34 is flat to permit bending, whereas the widened portion 35 is curved as shown in FIG. 4 both to fit the curve of the upper and to impart additional rigidity. The ball and heel segments 36 and 37 of the sole portion 31 are each substantially flat and parallel, the intermediate portion curving slightly to conform to the foot. Alternatively, the sole 31 may be further reinforced if desired, as by grooves or ridges formed in the sole itself or by means of narrow strips welded or otherwise bonded to the bottom surface, to provide additional rigidity.

As an example, a boot made as described may in-, clude an insert 20 made of 0.0l inch high strength aluminum alloy plate. The sole thickness at the ball area, exclusive of the innersole 24, may be about threeeighth inch; at the tip or toe, with the added end piece 29, about five-eighth inch; and at the heel area, about three-fourths inch. The sole l1 isdesirably of rubbery composition, polyurethane resin being preferred. The upper 12 is preferably of leather lined with sheepskin or foam rubber and with an inner lining of thin soft leather, and the toe 13 is of similar construction, and treated for additional stiffening or with the addition of separate stiffeners as desired. With such structure, a ski boot of entirely adequate strength and rigiditymay be constructed at a total weight of one-fourth to one-half less than the typical 4 pound weight.

What is claimed is as follows: 1. A ski boot including an outer sole, an upper having a rear area and an inner sole area, an outer rear cover extending from the outer sole to the top of the upper, and a continuous metal plate insert extending between said outer sole and said inner sole portion and between said upper and said cover, said insert covering the entire inner sole and heel area, having a narrow foldable flat segment adjacent said heel area and extending as a widened laterally curved top portion from said flat segment to said top. t

2. Boot of claim 1 wherein said insert is of high strength aluminum alloy. 1

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1. A ski boot including an outer sole, an upper having a rear area and an inner sole area, an outer rear cover extending from the outer sole to the top of the upper, and a continuous metal plate insert extending between said outer sole and said inner sole portion and between said upper and said cover, said insert covering the entire inner sole and heel area, having a narrow foldable flat segment adjacent said heel area and extending as a widened laterally curved top portion from said flat segment to said top.
 2. Boot of claim 1 wherein said insert is of high strength aluminum alloy. 